WATCH: Playful baboons cause splash on social media as they enjoy pool party at Betty’s Bay guest house
https://youtu.be/iMSdX2l6TP0
Two playful baboons are causing a stir on social media after a Betty's Bay guest house owner captured a video of the pair splashing about in his pool.
Garth Bradley, owner of the Kalliste guesthouse - described as an exclusive retreat - on Dolphin Drive, says he was sitting at his desk working when he first spotted the baboons frolicking in the pool. He grabbed his camera and was able to film their "pool party".
"The whole thing lasted about five minutes," he told News24.
Bradley says, since fires swept the area in January, baboons often come down the mountain to forage.
"They often sit on the deck or lay around the pool, four or five of them at a time."
The cheeky primates don't usually head for the pool. Bradley says they usually jump on the tables and tease the guesthouse dogs, before sauntering away.
"This was a first at our place. I was quite surprised," he said.
PhD candidate from the Institute for Communites and Wildlife in Africa, Joselyn Mormile, is doing research on human-baboon conflict and coexistence. She says the Betty's Bay baboon troop has been visiting the town for many years.
"Their usual foraging pattern involves searching for productive vegetation in low-lying land, which happens to be where we often build out homes. Road verges and residential properties are attractive areas for baboons to forage in mature vegetation," she told News24.
"While searching for this vegetation, baboons often find easily accessible human food in bins and homes. Human food is a major attractant for baboons, offering high rewards for very little effort."
Mormile reminded visitors to Betty's Bay to not feed baboons, and to "baboon-proof" homes and bins in the area.
